Columns

Awhile back this column was devoted to the various towns in DeSoto Parish. It was stated that the list did not include all of the communities of the parish. DeSoto Parish is proud of its town and communities. The following will not complete the list but only add additional ones that we certainly want to remember.

Carmel – A small community located about 7 miles east of Mansfield on Hwy 509. The village grew up from the area served by the Carmelite Monastery founded in 1888 at the Bayou Pierre Church by members of the Carmelite Order of the Catholic Church. The name Carmel translates to ”Garden of Gods”. The beautiful little Rock Chapel is located at Carmel.

Dolet Hills – Located in southeastern part of DeSoto Parish is named after a French Creole, Pierre Dolet, who made a settlement along Bayou Adays in 1795. Pierre Dolet was a large cattle owner who ran cattle over most of present day southern DeSoto Parish.

Over the past several years I have written articles about many men and women that have had profound influence on the City of Mansfield and on DeSoto Parish. They should all be remembered but none would, in the opinion of this writer, be more deserving than Dr. George A. Ritchey.

Dr. Ritchey was born in Enterprise, Ms. and later attended Pearl River Com. College in Poplarville, Ms. where he lettered in football, baseball, basketball and track. He was converted while a student there in 1926. He later attended Mississippi College in Clinton, Ms. where he played football and pastored two churches in Duncan and Friar’s Point, Ms. He continued his education in the ministry at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. And graduated from there with a Masters of Theology degree in 1933. He earned a Doctors of Philosophy degree in 1935 while a student at Louisville, Ky. and was a pastor of a church in Paragon, Indiana.

There’s Always Room For One More

When I was a kid I just had a few close friends. That’s all I needed. As I’ve grown older, I’ve decided that a few close friends are definitely great, but there is always room for more. Sometimes I seek out someone I’ve met and intentionally drawing her closer to become better friends. But sometimes these people just fall into my lap, so to speak. Sometimes I don’t even realize how much I needed this person in my life until they are actually smack in the middle of my life. Like Maggie.

His Daughter, Tootsie

Think quickly and tell me your favorite candy! Whether it’s Milky Way or Baby Ruth or M&M’s I’ll bet any of you have had or may like a Tootsie Roll or its spinoff, a Tootsie Roll Pop. Along with Atomic Firebombs they are my favorite. As a matter of fact. I have several in my desk drawer right now - Chocolate or Cherry, please!

It is hoped that readers of this column have a wide range of historical interest. Today’s article deals with the Yellow Fever epidemic in the early 1900’s which is often compared to the Bubonic Plague which was so deathly in Medieval Europe.

Yellow Fever was introduced into the United States in the 1790’s along the eastern seaboard in ports such as Philadelphia and New York by sailors from ships that had come through the port in Haiti. Philadelphia was especially hard hit with the loss of life to almost one fourth of its population. Some historians contribute Yellow Fever to causing Philadelphia to fall behind in growth and never realizing its potential as the city that it should have been.

One of the m o s t important non-federal projects in the United State is in our own backyard and is known as the Toledo Bend Reservoir. Historically the Rio de Sabinas (Sabine River) separated Spanish Texas from French Louisiana. Since rivers were early boundaries between countries it was natural for this river that runs north and south down to the Gulf of Mexico serve as the separation line.

In 1795 Crow’s Ferry was established at a narrow point on the Sabine where present day Hwy 6 crosses the river. James Gaines operated the ferry for 24 years when approximately 55,000 people migrated into Spanish Texas. After the Battle of the Alamo many left Texas by way of the ferry but after the victory at San Jacinto they returned by the same route.

A time-honored tradition to initiate a new member to the group having been “refined” by the oilfield workers. Prank is defined as “a practical joke usually in good humor and meant to be taken with a grin and shrug”. Far different from the sinister Haze which is “an initiation that can be strenuous, humiliating, or dangerous” made notorious by college fraternities and the military service academies.

Well, let me explain how this fits in. Last Sunday a bunch of my new church friends decided on eating at a place different from the local Mexican restaurant in town. This new place, called “The Log Cabin”, was 21 miles north on Hwy. 371 in Ringgold, La. It featured a big buffet with good country cooking and sounded . just . Great!

Those of you that have read this column through the years know my first love in history is for DeSoto Parish but other things are also interesting. History can take many forms and today’s article relates to the January 1946 Roosevelt Dime. Before 1946 the dime carried the image of a female figure wearing a winged cap representing Lady Liberty and mistakenly called a Mercury Dime.

Take A Break!

The Rock band R.E.M. had a song with this refrain, “Take a break Driver 8, you’ve been on this trip too long.” One or my favorites by them with a great melody, great guitar work, poetic but is very enigmatic Some critics say that the train Driver 8 is on symbolizes hopes and dreams while others say the verses are only stream of consciousness or imagery passing by as the trains moves. No one agrees on what the song really means but I still find some of the lyrics so appropriate at times.

I have gotten numerous phone calls lately about Lawn Burweed aka “stickers” and how to control them. We are too late in the game now for pre-emergent herbicide options because these pesky weeds are already germinating. The good news is that there are numerous post-emergent herbicides out there that will control burweed. Look for products at your local garden center that contain the following active ingredients: Atrazine; Metsulfuron; 2,4- D/dicamba/mecoprop. Some of the brand names of these products include Weed B Gon, Weed Free Zone, Trimec, and other three-way herbicides. Please note that products containing atrazine may cause damage to Bermudagrass that is out of dormancy. It is however safe to use on St. Augustine and Centipede lawns. Always read and follow the labeled directions because in the end, the label is the law.